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2019 goals update

Reading: Thus far in 2019, I have read 6 books (4 in January, reviews here/2 in February, post to come!). I’ve got quite an extensive list of books I want to read in the future, so I think I’m set on this goal for the spring quarter.

Budgeting: This one has been a little more challenging. The trouble with maternity leave is I have ample time to assess the state of our household and think of items that would help it run more smoothly and be more organized…which means spending money. I’m doing my best to resist the urge to buy ALL THE THINGS though. On the plus side, I have remained within my predetermined food budget (groceries + restaurant meals) for February. I’ve also stepped up my nerdiness game and calculated the cost per meal for our dinners. We consistently spend about $25-35 per week 0n dinners prepared at home, plus $25-35 per week on meals prepared outside the home. I still feel like we spend a lot of money on groceries compared to families of a comparable size/age, but organic meat and produce simply cost more.

Breastfeeding: Feeding Nathan does take up the majority of my time these days, but I’m OK with that, considering how well he is growing. According to our baby scale, he is hovering around the 11-pound mark, which doesn’t make him a chunky baby by any means, but he’s not anywhere near “failure to thrive” territory like his brother (more on that in my next Nathan update). Our pediatrician and several credible sources I’ve found online indicate that breastfeeding is often easier (i.e., undersupply is not quite as common) with subsequent children when compared to the first child. Thus far, I have found that to be the case. I’m not sure if that happens because of some physiological change, or if it’s just the benefit of experience–probably both!

Fitness-ing: Along with that smoother breastfeeding journey comes a potential trade-off–I feel that my body is not shedding the fat quite as quickly as it did the first time around. While it’s disappointing, I’m not dwelling on that fact too much. All I’m focused on right now is keeping active and eating well so that I’m healthy. My current routine is to run intervals on our basement treadmill 3-4 times per week, along with the occasional low-intensity cardio on our elliptical. I also strength train at least 3 times per week. In the future, I’m hoping to add in some yoga, just because all the weird positions I end up in while nursing have contorted my back and shoulders a bit! I haven’t really changed much about my diet, mostly because I don’t want to. I’m in a phase when I want to be kind to my body, and fasting and/or keto doesn’t really seem to fit in with that mindset.

Overall, I’m satisfied with my progress in all these areas. I just hope I can keep up the momentum for the remainder of the year!